Transportation News & Views

About tomorrow's bus detours

I’ve been hearing from readers asking the best way to get to Friday’s political rally at USC with President Barack Obama, as well as readers who want to know if their regular commutes will be impacted because of the rally.

So, I want to emphasize this point: all bus routes serving the USC area are fair game for detours because of security concerns. I cannot at this time tell anyone with 100 percent certainty that their bus will or will not be detoured, nor can I recommend a bus route to USC that for sure will not be impacted.

I can offer you this advice: plan to get to the rally early and to allow extra time on your commute. Another tip: if you don’t mind walking, you can ask the bus operator to let you off the bus at any point on a detour route where exiting the bus is safe. Use the bus to get close to USC, then walk.

The Silver Line (the 910 line) will likely be a popular option for regional travelers to reach USC because it stops at Union Station and 7th/Metro Center in downtown Los Angeles and also stops near the USC campus. It’s not on the list below; but it could be impacted. Here’s the timetable and map for regional travelers not familiar with the Silver Line. Again, I say this: NO GUARANTEES it won’t be detoured.

To be very blunt, the Secret Service’s job is to protect the President, not worry about your commute. Bring a book, wear comfortable shoes, let the boss know your commute may be affected tomorrow. If you have a cell phone with internet access, follow Metro’s service alerts on Twitter. The addresses are below.

And here is the press release issued by Metro earlier about possible detours:

Metro Bus service will be impacted on Friday, October 22, around the USC-Coliseum area during the mid-morning hours due to President Barack Obama’s visit to Los Angeles.

The Metro Bus lines most likely to be detoured will be lines 40, 42 and 740 on Martin Luther King Boulevard, 102 and 550 on Exposition Boulevard, 204 and 754 on Vermont Avenue and line 81 on Figueroa Street.